A semi-automatic pistol includes a slide assembly slidably mounted on a frame, a firing mechanism, and a magazine. The magazine is received within the handle portion of frame. The firing mechanism is mounted in the frame and includes a trigger, a trigger bar, and a spring activated striker-firing pin. The trigger bar is pivotally mounted on one end to the trigger and on the other end to a mechanism that actuates the striker firing-pin. In some pistols, a sear assembly is the mechanism that actuates the striker firing-pin. Movement of the trigger causes the pivotally connected trigger bar to move laterally within the frame and actuate the sear assembly out of engagement with the striker firing-pin, thereby allowing the striker firing-pin to engage an ammunition round loaded in the firing chamber unless otherwise prevented by another safety.
Most pistols today include a magazine safety to ensure the firearm cannot be fired when the magazine is removed. Many of those magazine safeties operate by impairing the ability of the firing mechanism to move an amount sufficient to fire the firearm. In those instances, it may not be possible to remove the slide from the frame of the firearm while the magazine is removed. It would be advantageous to be able to remove the slide from the frame while the magazine is removed from the firearm.
What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus and a method for removing the slide from a firearm that can be done while the magazine is removed from the firearm.